Those huge blobs of fat should be left where they are. No rescue people should have to move anything like that. And if they are moved, they should have to pay in advance for the extra equipment needed.
On Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 12:40 PM, Philobealo <[email protected]> wrote: > > Four-hundred-, 600- and even 800-pound patients are presenting > ambulance crews with some big challenges. > > As obesity rates rise, paramedics in Nebraska and Iowa are faced with > carrying more obese patients. In turn, paramedics find creative ways > to move them, and some fire departments are looking to borrow or buy > specialized equipment. > > Lincoln Fire & Rescue, for example, is considering putting a > construction crane and a forklift on call for patients who are too big > to get out a door or down steps. Firefighters had to use a tarp to > haul an 800-pound patient a few years ago. > > A standard ambulance costs $190,000 to $200,000. Omaha is considering > paying $15,000 to $20,000 more for one that comes with, along with a > winch, a reinforced floor and a bigger patient compartment. Rupp said > the ambulance would be purchased when an existing ambulance must be > replaced. > > Some fire departments are considering purchasing heavy-duty > stretchers, which can come with hydraulic lifts. > > The Council Bluffs Fire Department purchased one four years ago. The > stretcher can hold up to 1,600 pounds, compared with the standard 700 > pounds, and is 29 inches wide instead of 23 inches. > > The department uses it for patients who are 400-pounds-plus, and it's > getting more use lately? once or twice per month instead of every > other month, said Rick Benson, a division chief in the department. > http://www.omaha.com/article/20090730/NEWS01/707309966 > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
